Monthly Archives: July 2009

Most of us have a “junk drawer” that contains, among other oddments, stray keys. Restoration specialists working on the Douglas World Cruiser “Chicago” recently found two such strays in the aircraft: Since the “church key” (can opener) was found on top of the engine, it was probably used to open oil cans rather than refreshments …Continue Reading

The docents at the Udvar-Hazy Center enjoyed meeting a special visitor on May 16, 2009. His name is Jim Henry, a WWII naval aviator. Henry was one of the pilots that flew the F4U-1D Corsair that is on display at the Center. He and his wife Debra traveled from California with the express purpose of …Continue Reading

“You wrote a book about Tysons Corner? Isn’t that a shopping mall?” I’ve lost count of the times I’ve gotten this response from colleagues when I tell them that, yes, I wrote a book about Tysons Corner, Virginia, a suburban crossroads about ten miles west of the National Air and Space Museum. What’s more, I …Continue Reading

Early in the morning of July 25th, 1909 – a hundred years ago today – Louis Blériot (1872-1936) crossed the English Channel, a distance of 22 statute miles (36.6 km) from Les Barraques (near Calais) to Dover. There had been longer flights and further flights, but the conquest of the Channel by air was a sensation …Continue Reading

This summer, the world is marking the 40th anniversary of one of the greatest milestones in aerospace history, and one of the most remarkable of all human achievements—the first Moon landing by Apollo 11. But the summer of 2009 also marks another meaningful event in aerospace history. It is the centennial of military aviation. Almost …Continue Reading